I like my cleansers simple. No fragrance. No colour. No fancy bells and whistles. Just gentle cleansing power that takes everything off sans the irritation.
That’s just what Simple Refreshing Facial Wash promises. Heck, it proudly boats to be the kindest cleanser the brand has ever made. Does it live up to it?
Key Ingredients In Simple Refreshing Facial Wash
Cocamidopropyl Betaine To Cleanse Skin
Don’t let the complicated name fool you. Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a gentle surfactant that cleanses skin without irritating it.
It works by helping water mix with oil and dirt so they can be rinsed away. But it never goes overboard. It removes dirt, but it doesn’t strip skin naked of the little sebum it needs to stay naturally soft and moisturised. That’s why Simple Refreshing Facial Wash chose it.
FYI, Cocamidropyl Betaine doesn’t foam much. That’s ok. More foam doesn’t equal better cleansing powers. It just equals more irritation!
Related: Should You Avoid Sulfates In Skincare Products?
Panthenol To Moisturize Skin
Panthenol, or pro-vitamin B5, is a humectant. In plain English, it means it attracts water from the environment into the skin and holds it there.
That’s the secret behind Simple Refreshing Facial Wash’s kindness. While Cocamidopropyl Betaine does the cleansing, Panthenol ensures your skin has all the moisture it needs to stay soft during and after the process.
While it’s at it, Panthenol helps soothes dryness and irritation, too.
Related: What Are Humectants And Why Do You Need Them In Your Skincare Routine?
Let’s Put It To The Test: Personal Use & Opinion
First things first: foaming cleansers are for oily skin. Mine’s on the drier side these days. But I still wanted to give this cleanser a go, so I opted for a small travel size.
True to its “no perfume, no colour” motto, Simple Refreshing Facial Wash is fragrance-free and completely transparent. Its texture is gel-like, lightweight and a little slimy.
It doesn’t lather much when you mix it with water, but don’t let that fool you. This cleanser removes all traces of dirt and grime from my face (I use a separate makeup remover for my eyes).
If I’m wearing a water-resistant sunscreen or long-lasting foundation, I need to use two pumps to get everything off my face. I was afraid that’d be too drying for my skin, but I shouldn’t have worried.
It doesn’t matter if I use one or two pumps, my face always feels clean and soft afterwards. No tell-tale tight feeling that warns me the cleanser has stripped too much natural oils from my skin.
If you have oily and sensitive skin that reacts badly to most cleansers, give Simple Refreshing Facial Wash a try. It truly is one of the kindest cleansers I’ve ever tried.
Available at: £3.79 at Superdrug
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Have you tried Simple Refreshing Facial Wash? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Ingredients: Aqua, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Panthenol, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Pantolactone, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate.
There’s nothing I love more than a simple, non-stripping cleanser! It’s good to know that this is an option. My go-to lately is Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser, but I see a lot of hate for it on IG (especially from estheticians lol) but I think it’s kind of unfounded. Their gripe is that it doesn’t ‘do anything for skin’ because it doesn’t have any ceramides, hyaluronic acids, etc, just a couple of fatty alcohols but it cleanses gently. Even though it has SLS, it doesn’t foam at all. What do you think, Gio?
Alexis, I’ve shared my thoughts of it here: https://www.beautifulwithbrains.com/cetaphil-gentle-skin-cleanser/